Okunnu Eleku Family petitions Fashola over land excision

The Okunnu Eleku family of Oko-Olomi Vllage, Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area of Lagos, has petitioned the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) over what they described as “fraudulent activities of the Lagos State Bureau of Lands”.

The family urged Fashola to conduct a investigate the fraud allegedly perpetrated by the Bureau of Lands registry through Gazette No 19 Volume 40 dated February 22, 2007 by the land officials.

Speaking through their lawyer, Bamidele Ogundele, the Okunnu Eleku family alleged that a large parcel of their land measuring, 33.228 hectares and which comprises of Oko-Olomi, Imaletalafia, and Otunla villages was fraudulently ceded to Oba Tajudeen Afolabi Elemoro of Elemoro family by the Lagos State Bureau of Lands.

They said since Oba Elemoro is not the original owner of the land, the action of the state government therefore contradicts the provisions of section 28(1) of the Land Use Act, 1978, section 44(1) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and

Article 14 of the Africa Charter of Human and People”s Right (Enforcement and Ratification Act) Law of Federation 2004.

Ogundele alleged that the fraud was made possible with the influence of a former permanent secretary in the State Ministry of Lands, (names with held), who is now a senator of the federal republic of Nigeria and who they claimed has his maternal roots in the Elemoro family.

The counsel to the Okunnu Eleku family accused the senator of gross abuse of office for hijacking their lands from them and giving it to his own family without adequate compensation.

“It must be stated that there was no Notice of Acquisition and compensation paid to the owners of the land namely Okunu Eleku family of Oko-Olomi Village, Idogun family of Imaletalafia and Otunla family of Otunla village, all of Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos State”.

Going down memory lane, Ogundele recalled that the ancestral home of the Elemoro is Makun in Epe Local Government area adding that the Imoletalafia only gave two plots of land to the Elemoro”s forefathers as customary tenants to build a house.

The family accused Oba Elomoro of unleashing terror in the area, adding that on August 2, 2012, a member of their family , Rasheed Ismaila was shot in the chest and hand while the case was first reported at the Police station in their area before the matter was transferred to the homicide section of Panti, Yaba.

Ogundele urged the Inspector-General of Police to conduct investigation into an alleged attempt by some officers at the homicide section of Panti Police Station, Yaba to suppress the case file.

“We urge the Inspector-General of Police to take over the investigation and most importantly, we urge Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) to conduct adequate and exhaustive investigation into the alleged fraud perpetrated in the Lands Registry as contained in the gazette,” Ogundele added.